Iceland

Several months ago as I began to hear back from grad schools and needed to make a decision of which one I would accept, I talked to my dear friend Jen in Ecuador.  She helped me make a pros and cons list.  Near the end of our conversation she even offered to help me move to Sweden if I picked this option.  That sealed the deal.

Time moved on and when we went to buy our tickets we discovered it was cheaper to stop in Iceland for a few days then to go directly to Sweden.  Jen also worked it out to use her trip to Europe as a work trip fundraising for the orphanage in Ecuador she works at. We decided to do a bit of travel before settling in Sweden.

With 200+ pounds of luggage Jen and I met in the breathtaking country of Iceland.  As we lugged my belongings for the next 2 years through the airport and out to find our car we laughed at our luck of getting the smallest car in the whole parking lot.

The terrain changes rapidly as you move around the country but it all holds a rugged beauty.  We saw where the American and European tectonic plates are moving apart:

Were blown away by Gullfoss waterfalls:

And other waterfalls we saw along the way:

We saw Geysir, the first geyser recorded and the first known to Europeans.  Unfortunately, I was unable to capture this on my camera but believe me when I saw it was a giant spout of boiling hot water jumping out of the ground.

We attempted to go where we were told not to go.  My friend who drives in Quito was quite determined.

But we got stuck at a river without a crossing so left the car and went for a hike:

It was raining most of the time we were in Iceland but that didn't deter us.  Looking like unprepared Americans we forged ahead and saw and did as much as we could with our short time in Iceland.  At one point we started hiking to some geo-thermal hot springs we'd read about but were stopped by 2 European woman who told Jen she wouldn't make it through the mud and rain over the next hour in her Teva-like shoes.  So we succumbed to the touristy version and spent time at the Blue Lagoon:

All in all, Jen and I loved Iceland.  We highly recommend the country as a destination for any brave traveler.  To see our itinerary look here.